Marmol, bullpen blasted by Cardinals  —  Six St. Louis homers snap Cubs' four-game win streak  —  CHICAGO — Early on it looked like defense would be the culprit in Friday's 11-3 loss to the Cardinals, but the Cubs' old enemy, the home run, resurfaced as the game's main villain.

Angels notes: Scioscia upset at MLB  —  ANAHEIM - He might not agree with retaliation on the field, but manager Mike Scioscia came out firing Thursday against Major League Baseball.  —  The MLB office, led by vice president of on-field operations Bob Watson, was quick to hand out fines …

A.J., Alomar clear up quote dispute  —  White Sox catchers have misunderstanding over article  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Since the title "Much Ado About Nothing" already was put into use long ago by William Shakespeare, file Friday's minor clubhouse quarrel between catchers A.J. Pierzynski …

Pitching-poor Red Sox drop Game 1  —  Johnson, bullpen unable to keep Damon, Yankees in check  —  BOSTON — Doubleheaders, given the grueling nature of them, aren't always such an advantageous thing for a baseball team.  —  But never were the Red Sox more eager to get a nightcap under …

Eckstein will be out indefinitely  —  Shortstop David Eckstein will be lost for at least the rest of this weekend's series after suffering a strained muscle in his left side in a third-inning collision at the plate with Cubs catcher Michael Barrett.  —  The injury occurred …

9 and oh: Weaver's a perfect match  —  Rookie ties Ford's AL record for wins to start a career  —  ANAHEIM — Is there anything this kid can't do?  —  Jered Weaver won his ninth straight decision, becoming only the second American League rookie in history accomplish such a feat.

Jacobs doesn't let injured ankle stop him  —  · First baseman Mike Jacobs has played the majority of the season with a borderline stress fracture in his right ankle, and it won't completely heal until the season is over.  —  "They told me it was a stress reaction," Jacobs said, "and it was very close to being a fracture.

Tigers don't bite on trade  —  Loretta offered for pitching help  —  The Red Sox, seeking to take advantage of Detroit's need for a second baseman after Placido Polanco separated his left shoulder here Tuesday night, offered Mark Loretta to the Tigers for pitching help, according to industry sources, but could not strike a deal.

Diamondbacks-Padres Preview  —  Manager Bob Melvin believes the Arizona Diamondbacks have played well against San Diego this year because they caught the Padres at the right time.  —  If that's the case, the schedule has worked in his favor again.  —  The Diamondbacks look to solidify …

Williams takes Pedro start  —  Dave Williams will make his Mets' debut tonight, taking Pedro Martinez's spot in the rotation.  The lefthander was acquired May 25 from the Reds, along with $500,000 to cover half of his remaining salary, for minor-league pitcher Robert Manuel.

A rough ride for Teddy Roosevelt in this presidential race  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — When I told my wife about the idea, she considered it for a moment, then expressed a sentiment I was sure would come from my editor: "Who's going to write your game story while you're running around like an idiot?"

Soriano a 30-30 man for fourth time  —  Nats star one shy of record shared by Bobby, Barry Bonds  —  PHILADELPHIA — Left fielder Alfonso Soriano became the first member of the Nationals to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season on Friday night.

56-65  —  I just realized that I don't know how to generate Win Expectancy charts, and Fangraphs doesn't have one up yet for today, and it wouldn't look like a game summary without one, so I just used yesterday's chart and added a new picture.  Do you think anyone will notice?

Injury may put Phillips on DL  —  STAFF WRITER; Jim Baumbach contributed to this notebook.  —  Andy Phillips might be headed for at least 15 days of inactivity after injuring his rib cage on a swing in the ninth inning.  Phillips' playing time has dwindled to almost nothing since the acquisitions of Bobby Abreu and Craig Wilson.

'86 fete draws Straw  —  PHILADELPHIA - The reunion won't be short one Straw, after all.  —  After initially declining the invitation, Darryl Strawberry informed the Mets this week that he will attend Saturday's 20-year anniversary celebration of the Mets' 1986 World Series championship team before their game against Colorado.